Progressive politics, issues and candidates with a particular emphasis on Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. The views expressed here are opinions and the site owner is not responsible for the opinions written by others. All content, including original photographs, are copyrighted.

Contributors

John MorganBlog Owner

Kirk WentzelContributor

Peter Bonny Jr.Contributor

Michael PContributor

Blog Ads

To advertise on this blog please contact the owner through the "Email Me" link.

Recently on this blog

Recently on other blogs

November 29, 2007

Romney Refuses to Oppose Torture

Mitt Romney last evening refused to answer a question by stating that waterboarding is torture. He basically took the Mukasey plea, refusing to answer a direct question about whether he, as president, would allow America to engage in such torture.

This answer says much about Mitt Romney and his qualifications to be president. Essentially all the Republican candidates are endorsing the BushCo platform, from Iraq, to torture, to presidential power, to forming a government which is nothing more than the agent of corporate America, to a whole host of all the wrongs that have put America on the wrong track. None of them is willing to abandon George W. Bush's policies. Electing any of them means four more years of the same failures.

Romney's refusal to answer this question on waterboarding is indicative. We all know this technique is torture. There is no debate on what constitutes torture, degrading, inhumane, and improper treatment of prisoners. We don't want our fellow citizens and service members subjected to the same conditions and, as such, we should abhor and object to it being done to others in our name. Mitt Romney refused to do that last night.

Comments

Every one of the Republicans are a continuation of the Fundi-Armageddon-moral-agenda.

They are bending over each to kiss-the-arse of Dobson, Robertson, Council for Nat'l Policy, Family Research Council, Federalist Society members.

Mitt's speech about "families" saving the world and uplifting blacks out of poverty is comical and speaks to a great, sicker, sinister intent to continue this warped ideology at all costs including individuals rights.

GOV. MITT ROMNEY: And as I just said, as a presidential candidate, I don't think it's wise for us to describe specifically which measures we would and would not use. And that is something which I would want to receive the counsel not only of Senator McCain, but of a lot of other people. And there are people who, for many, many years, get the information we need to make sure that we protect our country. 9-11, 9-11, 9-11, 9-11 ( This last sentence I paraphrased - KJS)

--SNIP--

SEN. JOHN McCAIN: Well, Governor, I'm astonished that you haven't found out what waterboarding is.

GOV. MITT ROMNEY: I know what waterboarding is, Senator.

SEN. JOHN McCAIN: Then I am astonished that you would think such a -- such a torture would be inflicted on anyone in our -- who we are held captive and anyone could believe that that's not torture. It's in violation of the Geneva Conventions. It's in violation of existing law. And, Governor, let me tell you, if we're going to get the high ground in this world and we're going to be America that we have cherished and loved for more than 200 years, we're not going to torture people. We're not going to do what Pol Pot did. We're not going to do what's being done to Burmese monks as we speak. And I suggest that you talk to retired military officers and active-duty military officers like Colin Powell and others, and how in the world anybody could think that that kind of thing could be inflicted by Americans on people who are held in our custody is absolutely beyond me.

When the public was up-in-arms about Abu Graib, all the Repubs got in line with their outrage and our unesteemed leadership vowed this was an act of individual soldiers NOT POLICY.

THEY WERE ALL LYING! Waterboarding is not the only form of torture this administration and apparently ALL REPUBLICANS are condoning. And it is not the most horrific - look at the pictures of prisoners butts sprayed with plastics pellets. The pictures of Abu Graib Repub. condoned torture are on you tube. They were gotten by the Freedom of Information Act.